China Post tracking

Official postal operator of the People's Republic of China

China Post, also known as Chinese Post, is the official postal operator of the People's Republic of China. A state-owned enterprise under the supervision of the State Post Bureau, it manages the delivery of mail and parcels on a national and international scale. Its activities notably include domestic and international mail service, distribution of print media (newspapers, magazines, and books), postal orders and money transfers, issuance of postage stamps, express and logistics services, as well as various e-commerce and financial services. China Post handles colossal volumes of mail and parcels each year (several billion postal items per year), making it one of the largest postal networks in the world. In 2024, China Post ranked first worldwide among postal operators by revenue and profits, according to the Fortune Global 500 ranking. Its distribution network is extremely vast, comprising more than 120,000 delivery vehicles and a fleet of about 42 cargo planes dedicated to transporting mail and parcels. The company employs several hundred thousand people and has a presence covering the entire Chinese territory, including the most isolated rural areas.

History and Evolution

The origins of modern Chinese postal service date back to 1949, the year of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The new government then established a National Post Bureau responsible for rebuilding and unifying the postal system across the territory. Over the following decades, the Chinese postal service developed continuously, accompanying economic growth and the rise of domestic and international exchanges. Over time, China Post expanded its network of agencies and modernized its operations, integrating new sorting and mail tracking technologies.

A major reform of the postal sector was initiated in the years 2005-2007 to separate the regulatory functions and commercial activities of the Chinese post. Until then, the State Post Bureau acted both as a regulatory authority and as an operator of postal services. The restructuring approved by the Chinese government led to the creation of the China Post Group Corporation on January 29, 2007, an entity responsible for operating postal services commercially, while the State Post Bureau became an independent regulatory body. At the same time, the savings and money transfer services managed by the post were separated to form a distinct postal bank (the Postal Savings Bank of China), reflecting the scale of financial activities within the post. Since this reorganization, China Post has operated as a modern state-owned enterprise, while remaining under the control of the Chinese state.

During the 2010s and 2020s, China Post continued its modernization and adapted to the rise of online commerce. The massive increase in parcel shipments, notably due to e-commerce platforms shipping from China to the rest of the world, led China Post to develop specific services and strengthen its logistics capabilities. The operator also invested in the automation of sorting centers, the expansion of its transport fleet (land and air), and the improvement of service quality to maintain its rank among the global leaders in the postal sector.

Network and Organization

China Post has a sprawling postal network covering the entire mainland China. Its headquarters is located in Beijing, but the company is present through tens of thousands of post offices and sorting centers spread across the provinces, cities, and villages of the country. This dense network allows it to ensure universal postal service, from large metropolises to remote rural communities. China Post thus operates in virtually every corner of the Chinese territory, guaranteeing the delivery of mail and parcels even in isolated areas.

Internationally, China Post plays a central role in the delivery of shipments between China and the rest of the world. The company is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which integrates it into the global postal network and facilitates collaboration with foreign posts for the distribution of mail and parcels to or from China. Concretely, a parcel shipped from China transits via China Post to the border, then is taken over by the postal service of the destination country (or by a partner carrier) for final delivery, thanks to international postal reciprocity agreements.

Logistically, China Post relies on significant infrastructure. The company operates large sorting and transit centers, including international exchange centers near major air sorting hubs (such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, etc.), where international mail is processed before export or after import. It has its own air transport company, China Postal Airlines, which operates cargo flights dedicated to postal freight. This specialized air fleet (about forty aircraft) accelerates the transport of express mail and urgent parcels to global destinations. In addition, China Post uses a fleet of over one hundred thousand trucks and vans to ensure land transport and last-mile delivery across the country.

Services and Offers

As a versatile postal operator, China Post offers a complete range of postal and logistics services for individuals and businesses. Among the main services offered, we can mention:

• Regular postal services: delivery of ordinary mail (letters, postcards, advertising prints) and distribution of print media (newspapers, magazines) throughout the Chinese territory. China Post also provides registered mail services for tracked shipments or those requiring proof of delivery.
• Parcel services: handling and delivery of parcels both nationally and internationally. Different delivery modes are offered depending on urgency and cost: by land and sea (Surface, for the most economical shipments), by combined SAL method (mixed air/Surface, at intermediate speed), or by fast air. Small parcels (up to 2 kg) and medium-sized parcels can benefit from economical rates while being tracked if shipped in "registered" mode.
• EMS express mail service: China Post operates the EMS (Express Mail Service), its international and domestic express mail offer. EMS is a premium service allowing faster delivery of urgent documents and goods, with detailed tracking of shipments and increased reliability. It is a service used for shipments requiring priority and guaranteed delivery, and it is operated in cooperation with the global EMS network of other posts.
• Logistics solutions: through its China Post Logistics branch, the operator offers integrated logistics services for businesses, including supply chain management, warehousing, and freight transport by cargo. These services go beyond the classic postal parcel and include services adapted to industrial needs (large volumes, professional distribution, etc.).
• Services for e-commerce: China Post has developed offers specifically intended for international online sellers. Notably, the ePacket service (also called EUB) is designed for the fast and economical shipping of small parcels ordered on foreign e-commerce sites. This service, available for light parcels (generally up to 2 kg), offers end-to-end tracking to many countries and improved delivery times compared to standard postal mail. It is widely used by online sales platforms such as AliExpress, eBay, or Amazon to ship goods from China to the world.
• Financial services: China Post also fulfills a postal banking mission through the Postal Savings Bank of China. In post offices, users can access financial services such as opening savings accounts, paying bills, transferring funds, postal orders, or insurance services. This financial aspect inherited from the post provides basic banking services to a large population, especially in rural areas where the postal bank is often one of the only available financial outlets.

Thanks to this extensive range of services, China Post positions itself both as a traditional postal operator (distributing mail and parcels) and as an important logistics and financial player in China. Its parcel services and notably its solutions dedicated to online commerce have greatly contributed to the boom of international e-commerce, by offering Chinese merchants reliable and economical means to ship products to customers worldwide.

Shipment Tracking

China Post offers a tracking system allowing senders and recipients to know the delivery status of their shipments in real-time. Each parcel or registered letter is assigned a unique tracking number, usually composed of letters and numbers, which can be used to obtain location and status information of the shipment. China Post tracking is accessible online via the official China Post website (an English interface is available) or through other universal tracking sites, and it covers the main stages from pickup to delivery.

China Post tracking numbers follow standardized formats of 13 characters, compliant with Universal Postal Union standards. The most common ones are as follows:

• Registered shipments: code starting with R and ending with CN (for example RA123456789CN for a registered mail or small packet.
• EMS: code starting with E and ending with CN ) for example EE123456789CN for an Express Mail Service shipment.
• ePacket: 13-character code often starting with L (or sometimes other letters like A or V ) and ending with CN - for example LK123456789CN .
• Ordinary parcels not tracked: variable format, often purely numeric with 11 or 13 digits, or starting with U (indicating an unregistered small packet that only generates partial tracking).

Typically, the first two letters of the tracking number indicate the type of shipment (for example R for a registered shipment, E for EMS, L for a special ePacket small parcel, etc.), while the last two letters "CN" indicate that the original sender is China. Between these letters is a unique series of numbers. With this tracking number, customers can follow the journey of their shipment at each key stage.

When a parcel is shipped via China Post, each significant event is recorded and updated in the tracking system: pickup by a post office, departure from a sorting center, exit from Chinese territory, arrival in the destination country, customs clearance, delivery setup, etc. At each stage, a tracking status is associated, allowing to know the current situation of the parcel. It should be noted that the update frequency may vary depending on the shipping mode. For example, for economical parcels sent by surface, there may be a notable delay between the last update in China and the next one upon arrival in the destination country, while international transport is taking place. It is not uncommon for the tracking to remain unchanged for several days or weeks during overseas transit until the parcel is scanned upon entry into the postal network of the destination country. Once the parcel arrives in the destination country, it is taken over by the local postal carrier, who generally continues to feed tracking information (often under the same tracking number or a linked number) until final delivery. The recipient may therefore see statuses from the local post (for example La Poste in France) after the parcel arrives on national soil.

Overall, the China Post tracking system offers complete visibility on the delivery process, which is essential for international trade and the satisfaction of senders/buyers. In case of a problem (for example a parcel blocked in customs or an incorrect destination address), the tracking statuses allow identifying the anomaly and undertaking appropriate actions (contacting customs, correcting the address via the local carrier, etc.).

China Post Tracking Statuses

Below are the main tracking statuses that can be encountered when tracking a shipment sent via China Post, with their translation into French and a clear description of their meaning: